mcnaught



2 SheetsSheet 1.

A. McNAUGHT.

. Grain-Thrasher and Separator. No. 242,349. Patented May 31,1881.

- N, PETERS, Pholo-Lilhognphur. Wauhinglum D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. MGNAUGHT. Grain Thrasher and Separator. ,349.

Patented May 31,1881.

versus Pboko-lilbognpber. Whhingmm n, e

NITED STATES PATENT rricn- ARCHIBALD MONAUGHT, OF BARABOO, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM A. NIXON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GRAIN THRASHER AND SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,349, dated May 31, 188 1.

I Application filed September 16, 1878.

To all whom tt may concern Beit known that I, AROHIBALD MCNAUGHT, of Baraboo, in the county of Sank and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Thrashin g and Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in grain thrashing and separating machines and the objects of my improvements are to more completely effect the separation of the grain from the straw passing over the platform, and especially as it is thrown from the cylinder; to drive the grain through the platform at that 1 point; to more effectually loosen and tearthe straw apart by the co-operating rising action of toothed beating and conveying bars and a rotating deflector arranged at the rear side of the cylinder and over the lower ends of said toothed bars. In this relation of the parts it is necessary that the deflector be not only arranged over the inner ends of toothed bars which have a horizontal reciprocating movement as well as a rising-and-falling action 2 5 through the slots of the platform,but that the deflector must be arranged to operate partly back of the openings in the platform at the rear edge of the concave, and over downward sloping inner ends of said bars, having short pins to effect the objects stated. I attain these objects by the construction and combination illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in the several views of which the same letters indicate like parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the machine, the toothed beating and conveying bars being in their highest positions; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same on the line a: x of Fig. 1, looking at the rear end; Fig. 3, a partial'plan view of the separatingplatform, showing one of the cranked shafts for operating the beating-bars, and the conneetions of said bars in sections, Fig. 4, detail views of the braced or re-enforced strips which form the stationary slotted platform Fig. 5, one of said platform-bars; and Fig. 6 a partial longitudinal section, showing the position of the toothed beating and conveying bars in their lowest points of action. I

My improvements relate to the machine patented to A. T. Dunbar and myself February 5, 1867, No.'61,8l6,in which a series of verticallyreeiprocating and longitudinally-movin g heating and conveying bars having pins on their upper edges are combined for operation with a longitudinally-slotted platform, upon which the straw is received from the thrashing-cylinder in such manner as to cause said bars to rise a considerable distan ce above the platform and descend entirely beneath it for the purpose of givingthe straw an intermittent, vertical, and backward movement by a quick upward thrust and a quick backstroke, thus giving the straw two distinct shaking actions, letting out the grain through the slots. Between the upward and downward movements of the toothed beatin g-ba-rs the straw remains at rest upon the platform, and this lifting of the straw entirely from the platform forms a comparatively free space above it, which facilitates the separation and escape of the grain as the straw is tossed back; and it is with such a platform that I have combined a revolving deflector, giving results and advantages not enhanced in any other type of platform.

The thrashing-cylinder A works in a grated concave, B, from which the grain collecting therein passes to the shoe-head screen of the cleaning-mill below.

The separating-platform extends back from the concave at an upward inclination, and is composed of a series of bars, C, placed so as to form parallel slots, within which toothed bars D operate with a reciprocating motion, so as to be projected above and to be carried be- 8 5 neath the platform-for the purpose of giving the straw a vertical tossing or pitching movement toward the rear of the platform to loosen and separate the grain therefrom. These bars are mounted near their endsupon two cranked o shafts, E, arranged beneath the platform in bearings upon the side framing, F, and sufficiently near the platform to allow the cranks to revolve clear of it. The inner or lower ends of the bars D slope downward on their upper 5 edges for a short distance, and they pins on this sloping part are not so long, and are closer together, so as to allow of the cooperating action of a deflector immediately above the inner endsofsaidbars, asshown in Fig.1. Thefunc- 10o tion of this deflector as heretofore used is to prevent the winding of the straw around the cylinder, and to beat and force it down and out upon the platform or separating and conveying surface with the grain; but by using such deflector with a platform composed of longitudinal bars forming parallel slots extending from the rear edge of the concave, and toothed beating-bars working within said slots with vertical and longitudinal movements, I obtain highly important and advantageous results. These new results are that the grain is kept from piling up in front of the ends of the toothed beating-bars each time they rise above the platform, for as they so rise the deflector sweeps the upper portion of the straw over them, while the pins on the beveled ends of the bars catch into and hold the lower portion of the straw, so that the deflector and the toothed bars co-operate to open, loosen, and tear the straw apart and let out the grain at the point where the straw would otherwise bank to a greater or less extent, the

grain under this action passing out through the platfornrslots s at the inner edge of the concave. At least four-fifths of the grain in the sheaf is contained in the heads massed together, and this end of the sheaf is fed first into the machine.

The standard speed of the cylinder is about twelve hundred revolutions per minute. Its diameter is about set'enteen inches, and the circle described by the outer ends of the teeth is about twenty-two and a halt inches, so that their rate of travel is, say, seven thousand feet per minute. Its weight is about three hundred pounds. Now, it will be seen that moving with such force and velocity it must strip the grain from the heads the moment it touches them, and that at the same instant the grain is dashed against the deflector, to be by it just as quickly dashed down through the slots 8 in the platform. It requires an appreciable interval of time for the straw in each sheaf to pass through the concave, and because of its being so much lighter than the grain in proportion to its bulk its rate of travel is not so rapid; consequently the grain that has gone in advance of it has nearly or quite all been driven through the platform-slots before the straw reaches the deflector. There is necessarily an interval of time, more or less, between the entrance of the sheaves into the machine, because the action of the man who feeds is not quick enough to make their entrance continuous or unbroken, and as the deflector makes four hundred revolutions per minute its wings must engage with and drive the straw beyond it very quickly.

In connection with the co-operation of the deflector with the pins a of the beating-bars,

which I have described, the difference in the motions of these things are important, the movements of the beating-bars being about three hundred feet per minute, andzthat of the outer edges of the deflector-wings about one thousand four hundred and fifty revolutions per minute, so that the pins a engage with and hold the straw lying upon the sloping ends of the bars, while the wings of the deflector sweep the upper portion of the straw along farther upon said bars; but this action takes place when said beating-bars are at their highest points above the platform, as in Fig. 1. In any other type of platform these functions cannot be obtained by the combined action of the dcflector. Now, although the beating-bars with pins are old, yet they have never been combined and adapted for use with a deflector for the important service which I have stated.

The deflector revolves in the same direction as the cylinder, and it is important to notice that the inner sloping ends ofthe toothed beating-bars D rise from the platform directly beneath the wings of the deflector, and move backward therefrom in descending below the platform, thus not only opening the platform-slots, that the grain may be beaten through them,but causing the wings of the deflector to act with specific relation to the pins of the beatingbars and the slots in said platform. The movements of the bars D are rotary, and they open fully the platform-slots in each revolution. Whatever their position there are always more or less of the slots fully open at the junction of the platform-bars with the concave by reason of the action of the cranks, so that the deflector always acts to drive the grain through these openings. It acts upon the straw with the rising movements of the bars D in a manner to loosen the straw and separate and discharge the grain at the point where it is delivered from the cylinder onto the pins of said bars. The grain passing through the slots of the platform falls upon the inclined return in g-board H, from which it is delivered upon the sieve I of the cleanin g-mill.

The beating-bars are united in sections by cross-strips J, arranged at suitable distances apart and in such relation to theinclined returnin g-board as to approach and nearly touch its surface, and thus scrape down the grain, straw, and oh aft as thebars move toward the cylinder. These cross-strips may or may not be provided with pins 0, and the lower edges of said beating-bars may or may not have pins d projectin g so as to act in the plane of the cross-strips or their pins. I prefer, however, to use the pins in the strips and bars to carry down the grain upon the sieve of the shoe K, which shoe I prefer to have only the end shake, and I prefer to arrange it for under-blast, as shown.

The sieve 1 is provided with a double-inclined bridge, M, which. forms a stop or bar- 'rier to the passage of the straw and grain at the rear end of the shoe. The straw and light stuff are picked up and tossed over this bridge by a picker, N, revolving backward, so that the grain and tailings pass through the sieve at this point to a receiving-spout, 0, below, from which it is delivered into an upwardlyinclined side elevator, Z, and returned to the thrashing-cylinder. The grain from the shoe is delivered into a spout, P, and thence to measuring or bagging appliance.

A pivoted board, R, is arranged at the front end of the sieve I to direct the blast upon the sieve, in connection with a similar pivoted board, It, at the lower mouth-edge of the fancase, both boards co-operatin g to direct the blast and control its force.

The bars G,formin g the slotted platform, are about four inches wide and from ten to twelve feet long, and are supported only at each end upon girts Q, and their upper surfaces are beveled to form a central ridge, as shown in Fig. 4, to facilitate the passage of the grain to the slots, which are made sufficiently wide to allow the grain to pass through between the fixed and moving bars when the latter are raised. It is important to keep the platform bars from sagging, so that the boxes 0, by which the beating-bars are attached to the cranked shafts, may not strike the under sides of the platformbars as said boxes rise, and also to prevent the cross-strips J, which unite the bars in sections, from comin g in contact with said platform-bars, and for this purpose I brace and stiffen said bars by re-enforcin g strips 0, Figs. 4 and 5, extending throughout their length and with their ends abutting against the inner sides of the girts Q. These re-enforcin g strips 0 are secured by being glued and screwed together, while having a slightly arched or camber form, so that when set in place and secured to the girts they will be prevented from sagging below a right line. These re-enforcin g strips 0 may be of equal width to the bars (J, or they may be let into the bars ed gewise, as shown in Fig. 4.

The outer one of each set or section of the toothed beating bars D are secured to the cranks E by boxes 6; but the middle bar, I), of each set is connected to the outer bars by the cross-strips J, secured to the under sides of each set, and thereby maintain the middle bars in parallel and coincident positions with the platform-slots, as shown in Fig. 3. The toothed bars are secured in sets upon cranks arranged in halves, quarters, and thirds, and each crank has a throw of about six inches, and operates the bars in sections of three, giving a continuous motion to the several sections, but no two in the same direction at the same time.

The machine is operated by any suitable motor applied to the shaft S, arranged in theframe intermediately between the cylinder-concave and the fan-case, and the cylinder and the fan are driven by spur-gear from a side shaft. The toothed beating-bars, the stacker-shaft T, the elevator and shoe are driven by a belt, U, leadin g from a pulley on the main driving-shaft, as shown, or in any other suitable way.

A feeder-stand, V, is arranged for use in the usual manner, and the framin gwith the several parts are all properly and strongly secured.

It is necessary that the deflector should be arranged not only over the slopin g toothed ends of the bars D, but partly in rear of the platformopenings 8 at the rear end of the concave B, so

that the deflector-wings, receiving the grain thrown from the cylinder, will beat it down through said openings, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, and thus prevent the bulk of the grain from being carried up over the platform by the action ofthe toothed bars D. It is also necessary that the pins a on the sloping ends of the bars should be shorter than the pins along the parallel edges of said bars, otherwise the deflector could not be arranged for operation over the inner ends of these bars; and this arrangement forms a new relation of old parts, producing a more effective separation.

1. In a thrashing and separating machine having the combination of a platform composed of parallel longitudinal bars 0 and longitudinally and vertically reciprocating toothed beating and conveying bars D, operating in the slots formed between said bars 0, and a thrashing-cylinder, the said toothed beatingbars having sloping inner ends provided with short pins, and operating in connection with the deflector G, arranged over said sloping toothed ends and part] yin rear of the platformopenings 8 at the rear end of the concave, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The vertically and longitudinally reciprocatin g bcatin g and conveying bars D, having ranges of pins to d on their upper and lower edges, and cross-strips J, with pins 0 on their lower edges, for the purpose stated.

3. The platform-bars 0, having the bracing and re-enforcing strips 0', applied and secured as described, in combination with the girts Q, against which thereenforcing strips abut, for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

. AROHIBALD MONAUGHT.

Witnesses:

A. E. H. JOHNSON, J. W. HAMILTON J oHNsoN. 

